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Ferdinand von Aegir had a problem. Becoming prime minister had been his goal all along and he had thought he was prepared. How wrong he had been.
To be fair, it wasn’t just his daily work that kept piling up. There was also the issue of fixing old mistakes and not for the first time, he wondered how a single person (his father) could screw up so badly and leave so much for someone else (himself) to sort through.
He needed help, he knew that much. The question was, who could he ask without them telling other people? The last thing he needed was a scandal. People calling him a fool, incapable of doing his job … Ferdinand shuddered at the mere thought of it. No, he needed someone who wouldn’t gossip.
Someone like Linhardt, he realized suddenly, rising from where he had rested his head on the table in desperation for the last minutes. Linhardt was perfect for this job. He was intelligent and always knew what to do and he wouldn’t go around making fun of it.
Finding a servant to look for Linhardt and send him over was no problem. The wait even more so. With their friends and allies spread all over the continent, who knew if his friend was even in the city at the moment? Ferdinand knew he had travelled to both the Alliance and the Kingdom on occasion and if this was one of those weeks, he would have to suffer on his own for longer than he liked.
To his immense relief, Linhardt opened the door a few minutes later, way prettier than any sleep-deprived person should.
“Why do I get the feeling this isn’t a social call?” he asked, taking one glance at Ferdinand’s desk. Were the piles of documents still standing or already collapsing? He honestly couldn’t tell at this point.
“Because it’s not,” he said, immediately cursing himself. “I mean, I do want to see you but I also need your help.”
“My help?” Linhardt raised an eyebrow, taking a careful step back. That was bad, Ferdinand needed him stay.
“Yes.” He tried to smile but probably failed spectacularly. “Please?”
“Oh, don’t give me that look.” There was a deep sigh but Linhardt walked forward again, facing the desk. “What do you need?”
“I can’t seem to find my way through all of this paperwork. It’s a lot and I’m … I’m overwhelmed,” Ferdinand admitted. “Please don’t tell anyone else, this is already embarrassing.”
“Huh.” That was the only comment for a while, Ferdinand gladly gave up his seat for Linhardt while his friend sorted through documents, made new piles and shifted them around, occasionally uttering a curse.
Just when he was about to go stir-crazy, to leave the room and just do something, anything, Linhardt raised his head again.
“I’ll help you,” he said, almost causing Ferdinand to hug him. He stopped himself at the last moment. “But if you really don’t want anyone else around, it’ll take a while. Get me some coffee.”
“Oh, uh, yeah, of course, anything.” That wasn’t even an exaggeration. There were few things he wouldn’t do if Linhardt asked him and getting coffee was a simple task. “I’ll be right back.”
Coffee. Fine. He couldn’t go ask Hubert without bringing up too many question, so he went to his quarters because was sure he still had a small stash. He found it after endless minutes, hidden under a few tunics he had last been able to wear during the war. They weren’t suitable for court but they were comfortable and sometimes he missed them. Ferdinand hesitated for a moment, then decided to just get the coffee and prepare it. He shouldn’t leave Linhardt on his own for too long, that wouldn’t be polite. He absolutely didn’t want to get back because his friend was pretty to look at when he worked.
When he stepped into his office again, Linhardt looked ready to fall asleep on the spot. Ferdinand cleared his throat, placing the can and a cup on the desk.
“You’re saving me,” Linhardt sighed, pushing his hair back to take a long sip, not bothered by the heat. Ferdinand was trying not to stare at his neck too much.
“Actually, you’re saving me,” he mumbled, feeling a little awkward. “Is there anything I can already do?”
“Sure, sign these.”
He hadn’t been away for that long but the stack of papers Linhardt was pushing into his direction was impressive. “That’s … a lot,” he managed, skimming over the text. It seemed to be the solution to a minor dispute or something, not granting anyone any favours but written in a way that made everyone think they won. Truly, Linhardt was a blessing.
“I focused on smaller tasks first,” his friend explained, chewing on a quill which almost made Ferdinand forget what he was supposed to do. “We’ll have to find a system for you to work with, I won’t always be here.”
“Yes, of course.” After the first few deeds, he gave up reading and just signed his name. Linhardt’s words shouldn’t bother him so, he saw most of his friends only on rare occasions. And yet, he wanted to keep this one around and didn’t know why.
“Ferdinand?”
“Yes?”
“You seem a little lost today.”
“I, uh, I apologize. It’s been a long week and I haven’t slept too well.”
“Hmm.” Linhardt made no other sound for a few seconds, just checked what he had just written and then handed that document over. “Maybe you should ask for an assistant.”
“I have thought about that.”
“But?” The quill was scratching again. That was good because he couldn’t get distracted by blue eyes but also bad because he wanted to get distracted. Ferdinand kept signing, hoping he didn’t accidently marry someone or start another war. Linhardt was, among close friends at least, known for mischief.
“I don’t know if I could work with just anyone. And, frankly, I do not have the time to interview several people until I find the right one.”
“Now that sounds like you’re trying to get married.”
If he had been drinking, it would’ve ended up all over the documents. “What, I’m no, I…”
“Ferdinand, that was a joke.” Linhardt stared at him and he felt a blush creep up his face. “You need to relax. Seems like you need my help there as well.”
“And how you plan on doing that?”
The smirk that followed was a bit frightening. He would never admit that – he was Ferdinand von Aegir! – but sometimes Linhardt was unsettling and right now, Ferdinand wanted to see what he came up with.
Linhardt’s solution was simple. After several hours of coffee, signed documents and shifted paper stacks, the office looked presentable again. Ferdinand was impressed and while he stared at the neatly organized shelves, soft fingers closed around his wrist.
“Come on.”
“Uh, yes.” He stumbled after Linhardt, only now noticing that it was already getting dark. Had they eaten yet? Was there official business to attend to? A gala he needed to be present at?
“Ferdinand!”
He blinked, stopping his tracks. Linhardt rarely raised his voice and right now, he was even glaring. Ferdinand lowered his head. “Sorry.”
“I can hear you thinking. Stop it. Relax.”
“How?”
“Ugh.” Linhardt kept dragging him on and before he could ask any more questions, he was pushed onto a soft mattress. He felt himself blush again but nothing really happened after that. Linhardt crawled under the blankets, shifted a bit and rested his head on Ferdinand’s chest.
Ah. It certainly was relaxing, at least after the initial shock. There was a quiet sigh from Linhardt, then Ferdinand felt arms wrap around his middle and a leg over his own. It was comfortable even though his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Slowly, he calmed down, placing his own hands on Linhardt’s back and closing his eyes.
“Thank you,” he whispered, sure that his friend was asleep. There was a quiet noise in response, though.
“You could’ve me told me you loved me.” The words were mumbled more than anything and he needed a moment to process them. We could’ve had this a lot earlier.”
Ferdinand was awake again. Love. He cared for all of his friends, but … maybe Linhardt was right. Maybe he did love him. That would explain why he was always so distracted around the other man. But how had he not noticed.
“Ferdinand,” Linhardt groaned into his shirt. “If you don’t go to sleep, I will use a spell. We can talk tomorrow. And go on a date.”
“I … yes. Alright.” Was love why he had always enjoyed when Linhardt slept on his shoulder instead of anyone else’s? How long had he had these feelings? He sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position and closed his eyes. “Good night.”